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- Provide training to all Chemistry scientists on instrument operation, sample preparations, and data upload/download procedures.
- Provide safety tour to all scientists working in the Chemistry/MBIO area. Ensure scientists understand all safety concerns and sign the required documents.
- Give an orientation/safety procedures tour of the lab to the Chemists.
- Meet with Chemists and find out their general goals and specific requests. If there are Microbiologists sailing, make sure that these same protocols are done with them.
- Divide up responsibilities among the Chemists for all shipboard analyses. Follow up during coring operation to make sure all analyses are done and done correctly
- Have a meeting with the Chemists/Curator/SAC (Sample Allocation Committee) to go through sample plans.
- Prepare sampling equipment and sample storage containers. Wash any necessary containers and prepare spikes if needed.
- Prepare SampleMaster split template (water and cake splits).
- Show how to print sample labels.
- Go over all MSDS sheets before working with any chemicals. Understand the risk of handling chemicals, especially if any hazardous chemicals will be used.
- Print out the most recent copy of each instrument's User Guide so the Scientists can become familiar with each instrument's operation.
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Catwalk sampling procedure
Participate "Core on Deck" duty as much as you can. If you need chemists to help you on the catwalk, make sure to train them how to take samples (IW/HS) properly
Interstitial Water (IW)
- Obtain the IW sampling interval from the Curator and take the sample(s) when the core comes on deck.
- If possible, have the geochemist on the catwalk assist you in determining where to take the IW sample. Never take a sample that includes a change in lithology.
- Initially, 5 cm whole rounds are taken; as the water yield decreases, go to 10 cm whole rounds. Larger whole rounds may be taken after speaking to the SAC (Curator, EPM, and co-chiefs).
- If possible, take the IW sample from the bottom of the same section every time. As recovery decreases you will have to take the IW sample from wherever you can.
- A typical IW sampling plan is for 0 – 100 mbsf, take one IW per core and > 100 mbsf, take one IW every third core. Check with the Curator on the current plan.
- Note the core, section and interval of the sample and write it on the Curator's logsheet. The interval will need to be entered into SampleMaster by the Curator/ALO.
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- Take a 5 cc headspace sample from every sediment core (non-basement), at the top of a section (try to be consistent). This sample is taken until the total depth objective is met. If doing multiple holes, you do not have to repeat the sampling if the sample is taken at a prior depth but just continue after the prior hole's bottom depth.
- For cores with IW samples, always take the headspace sample adjacent to IW, best from the top of the section immediately below the IW sample. Note the core, section and interval of the headspace sample and write it on the Curator's logsheet. The interval will need to be entered into SampleMaster by the Curator/ALO.
- Make sure nobody sprays acetone on the catwalk before sampling is completed. Acetone will contaminate the sample.
- It is recommended to occasionally take a sample of the air on the core deck, so that any change in the headspace sample analysis can be correlated to changes in volatilized acetone.
- Inject a standard (corresponding to a similar concentration seen in the core samples) every fifty injections or so, to check on the instrument calibration.
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- If gas voids are present in the core liner, take a sample using the syringe vacutainer and directly inject into a GC (GC3 NGA1 or NGANGA2).
- Circle the hole in the core liner. Note the core , and section and interval of the sample and write it on the Curator's logsheet. The interval will need to will change after curation is done on catwalk and it will be entered into SampleMaster by the Curator/ALO.
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